Few Clear Forecasts of House Democrats’ Influence on 2019 STELA Debate

“I don’t expect that House Democrats will be particularly hostile” to any one side in the STELA debate, said R Street Institute Technology Policy Manager Tom Struble. “They are big on consumer protection issues” for the video market but how that manifests in legislation will depend on what Pallone and others envision as a final bill’s scope. Video competition is “potentially ripe for policy reform because we’re seeing breaking points in the market,” Struble said. “The rise” of over-the-top video services and “what it means for the existing retrans negotiations process” is going to be “an issue we see Congress dealing with” in 2019 via the STELA debate. “We think there are some changes that should be made,” but R Street is still evaluating what would best accomplish that goal, Struble said.